


Doin It

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Thicker than Water [32]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Friendship, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-11
Updated: 2014-10-11
Packaged: 2018-02-20 15:04:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2433134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“We trust each other; we share our souls.  Judgment has no place in our relationship and it never will.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Doin It

**Author's Note:**

> This story is told in the **Thicker than Water** universe, where the BAU are kids and teens. It’s the sequel to [How Right Tonight Might Be](http://lairofthemuses.livejournal.com/122669.html#cutid1) but it stands alone.

“I can tell you anything, right?”

“What?” Hotch looked at him mid-chew.

They were hanging out, having lunch at the Georgetown Diner. It had been a while since they did the best friends thing and Jason thought it was about time they did it again. School was busy for both of them and Hotch still did Fridays and Saturdays at Kassmeyer’s. It was good to take some time off with his best friend.

“I can tell you anything right?” Jason repeated.

“Absolutely; you're my best friend. If you can't tell your best friend stuff, who can you tell?”

“Yeah.”

“What's the matter?” Hotch asked. “Are you OK?”

Jason had always been his confidante and vice-versa. They were bunked together at the boys’ home after Erin dropped Jason off. Hotch was so glad to see him. His last roommate, Raphael Hankel, made him sleep with one eye open. The home was a nice place run by good people but that didn’t mean bad things never happened there. Raphael and his cronies had a mini-reign of terror that scarred some boys for life.

Hotch didn’t want his name added to that list. From the moment he met Jason, he finally felt safe. He’d never felt safe at home; his father’s wrath was unpredictable. He got even angrier after Hotch’s mom died and he got saddled with the sissy boy. He called Hotch a sissy all the time…told him to man up or he would make a man out of him.

Hotch was terrified of what that meant. If the hitting didn’t working then what would he try next? Maybe his father was no better than Raphael Hankel. He was grateful that he never found out. It was insane to be grateful that your father died and you were an orphan. Hotch sometimes imagined how awful his life would be if his father were still alive.

With Jason and his new family, he was safe and secure. He couldn’t quite say he was happy. He felt that way sometimes, but sometimes he was dark and sad too. He fought those feelings, didn’t want them, but all of his siblings had them in one way or another. That’s why they fit so well together and took care of each other.

“I'm fine; I just want to tell you something.”

“What?”

Jason looked at him and wondered if they should have this talk. He needed to talk to someone and who better than his best friend. The thought of talking to Dave crossed his mind but he wasn’t ready to tell him this kind of thing. It was still intensely personal though he couldn’t hold it in anymore. Despite that, there was a tiny part of Jason that feared Hotch had feelings for Emily.

He wasn’t sure what kind of feelings and couldn’t bring himself to even ask. It might turn out that he was wrong, though Jason was good at reading people. He was really good at reading Hotch. The teenager kept a lot to himself but Jason often read his body language and his face. And he saw the way he sometimes looked at and reacted to Emily. It could all be hormones, which Jason knew from experience made you feel things you might not want to. He shook that out of his brain and took a deep breath.

“Last night…Emily and I made love.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” Jason nodded.

“What was it like?” Hotch asked. “Did you…like it?”

“It was the most amazing thing ever.”

Jason couldn’t quite look him in the eye when he said it. A cranberry tint rose to his cheeks and a huge grin spread across his face. He couldn’t stop thinking about it, not that he was trying so hard. When he woke up this morning, Emily was still in his arms. She was also still eager. They were both satisfied with a little second base and then Jason had to go to his own bed.

“Was Emily OK? Did she like it?”

“I think she liked it a lot.” Jason replied.

“So you're not gonna wait anymore?”

“We certainly don’t want to make a habit out of surrendering to our wants. We have an example to…”

“You're only human, Jason.” Hotch cut him off. “You don’t have to be perfect all the time.”

“I'm surely not perfect. I don’t think of myself that way.”

“But you love Emily, right?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then sometimes it’s OK to make love. It’s OK to make love all the time.”

“She’s too young, Hotch…we both are. When you're young you can be reckless and we can't be that way. We have a family to care for and an example to set for Morgan, JJ, Penelope, and Spencer. Sometimes the needs of the unit outweigh the needs of the individual.”

“I guess that’s true.” Hotch replied. “Do you feel weird knowing it'll only be Emily for the rest of your life?”

“No.” Jason shook his head. “She's the only girl I love.”

“You loved Sarah once.”

“That was a long time ago. A lifetime has gone by since then. I never loved Sarah like I love Emily. I didn’t know I could feel something like this until I met her.”

“Do you believe that you should only make love to a girl if you truly love her?” Hotch asked.

“Well,” Jason sipped his root beer. “That’s the standard I hold myself to but everyone is different. I don’t judge people.”

“So you wouldn’t judge me if I…if I did something like that?” he asked, eyes trained on the Formica tabletop.

“Aaron, I would never, ever judge you. You’re my best friend and my brother. We trust each other; share our souls. Judgment has no place in our relationship and it never will.”

“Good.” Hotch whispered, nodding. “I'm not a virgin anymore either.”

“Who have you been with?” Jason asked, trying to hold back his surprise. He didn’t see that coming.

“I don’t wanna name names…that’s when things get complicated.”

“That’s not the only time they do. I guess it wasn’t Haley.”

“No.”

They weren't back together. Hotch had a little hope around the holidays, even bought her a Christmas gift he could barely afford, but she wasn’t budging. She seemed to enjoy dangling reconciliation in his face. He finally walked away and in February started dating Megan Kane. It wasn’t serious; neither was ready for a life commitment.

But she liked Hotch because he was a gentleman. She never had to worry about him being all over her. For being the consummate good guy, Megan gave him sex. He enjoyed being with her more than he had Lindsay though Hotch still knew it wasn’t love. At least it didn’t have the horrific guilt attached to it.

“It’s Megan.” He said.

“She’s your girlfriend.” Jason replied. “You care about her.”

“Yeah, I do. I can be myself with her and that’s really comforting. I still don't feel for her what you feel for Emily.”

“You shouldn’t compare the two. You’ve only been together a couple of months. I know that she cares about you.”

Hotch nodded. Megan wasn’t perfect and neither was he but they were both classic overachievers. She was from a broken home as well. Her father left her mother for his mistress and she never saw him again. Her mother moved her to DC from Dallas, where her father was an oil baron.

He paid for her education but her mother struggled to make him pay child and spousal support. The former Mrs. Kane had to return to work…something she hadn't done in decades. They were cut off from their once privileged world while still being smack in the middle of it. They lived in an overpriced condo won from the divorce and Megan went to an expensive private school. She told Hotch she sometimes felt like she had multiple personality disorder.

“Do you think you'll care deeply for her one day?” Jason asked.

“Am I a horrible person if I sleep with her and don’t?” Hotch countered.

“No. I think you make yourself out to be this horrible person when you never have been and never will be. You're not using or abusing Megan just because you may not be in love with her, Hotch. I could never believe you're that kind of man.”

“What about Lindsay?”

“Lindsay who?”

“We only know one Lindsay, Gideon.”

Jason’s expression changed before his self-control could rein it in.

“It was Thanksgiving, wasn’t it?” he asked.

“That’s when I told Emily. I made her swear not to tell anyone, even you.”

Jason remembered how hurt and disappointed Emily was around that time. He tried to get her to open up. At first she said she missed her parents and he accepted that. It didn’t take long for him to figure out that Lindsay was at the center of it.

Wow, Lindsay and Hotch…that was mind-blowing. Jason had no idea how Emily could still be friends with her. Despite his petty jealousy of Coop, he was so glad that she branched out and got some new friends. Hotch looked at Jason.

“Now you're judging me.” he said.

“I'm not; stop it. You know you can tell me anything. I'm surprised, yeah, but…I'm just surprised. Do you want to talk about it?”

“No. It was a mistake. I like Lindsay a lot, as a friend, but it wasn’t worth hurting Emily. I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive myself for that.”

“OK.”

They kept eating their burgers and fries, each boy taking his own deep breath. They'd gotten some things off their chests, trusted each other, and shared. Jason reached over and put his hand on Hotch’s. He looked up and smiled.

“We’re OK, right?” Hotch asked.

“Yeah. Are you OK?”

“Mmm hmm,” he nodded.

“Wanna go to the arcade after lunch and play Street Fighter?” Jason asked.

“Only if I get to be Charlie.” Hotch managed a smile.

“It doesn’t matter since I'm gonna win anyway.”

“You wish.”

They laughed and it made them both feel better. There were other feelings too; other thoughts and emotions. Better was going to be alright for now.

***

Emily and her friends laughed as they sat in a table at The Sandwich Shoppe. They’d gone to Alexandria to see _The Big Lebowski_ and then headed out to eat. Zoë tagged along, which was great. Emily knew Zoë kinda had a thing for Coop and she was working on making them a match. They would be good for each other.

Emily had a feeling they both suspected that but were nervous about something. She had a feeling Coop thought he had feelings for her. She tried to make sure their roots stayed firmly planted in the friendship garden. No one needed to get hurt for nothing. That was another reason why Zoë was there.

“They just need to put it on video already so I can watch it all the time without paying seven bucks.”

“They get more money this way.” Zoë replied. “I've wasted money on worse things.”

“Tell me about it.” Emily rolled her eyes. “My imported cloves are like $5 a pack.”

“You should stop puffing those cancer sticks.” Coop said.

“Two cloves a day are not gonna kill me. I can't say the same for those chili cheese fries you're inhaling. But thanks for the public service announcement.”

“You forgot the sensitive concern.” Coop replied.

Emily stuck out her tongue and they were all laughing again.

“Hey, I can tell you guys stuff and it won't leave this table, right?” Emily asked.

“Of course.” Coop and Zoë said in unison.

“Is it salacious?” Coop asked grinning.

“Shut up Cooper.” Zoë pinched him.

“Know why I love you, Coop?” Emily asked. “Cuz you remind me of my 15 year old brother.”

“Ouch.” He grabbed his heart. “You cut me so deep, Prentiss.”

“My lips are sealed, Em.” Zoë said. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah…this is good news.”

Emily looked at her two friends and they were waiting patiently. Coop had a goofy look on his face but he almost always had a goofy look on his face. That was another reason she adored him.

“Jason and I went all the way.”

She lowered her voice and they had to lean in to hear. Zoë accidentally dipped the elbow of her camouflage green blouse into the honey mustard. That made them laugh, Zoë muttered an expletive, and then started to clean up with napkins. After that she held up her hands for a double high five. Emily smiled.

“Did it hurt?” Zoë whispered. “A lot of girls say it hurts.”

“Losing my virginity didn’t hurt.” Coop replied.

“I said girls.” She playfully slapped the side of his head. “Were you dropped on your head at a tender age?”

“That’s altogether probable.”

“There was discomfort and stuff.” Emily paused. They didn’t know what happened to her and they didn’t need to know. It felt weird to lie to them, even if she wasn’t quite lying. She’d get over it. “Let’s just say I made it through unscathed.”

“It’s about time.” Coop said. “I mean, he's supposed to be your man. He should be staking his claim.”

“Coop, that’s the most caveman thing you’ve ever said.” Emily crossed her arms. “For you that’s saying something.”

“I'm just saying, Prentiss, c'mon! Waiting until you're 18…who does that? And you're living under the same roof too. That’s cruel and unusual punishment. I thought the guy was practicing to become a Gregorian monk or something.”

“How did you know we were waiting?” Emily asked.

“Linz told me. She thought it was insane. I concur.”

Zoë pulled a dollar from her shirt pocket and gave it to Coop.

“What's this for?” he asked.

“For using a big word in the right context.”

“Oh ha ha.”

They all laughed.

“I hope it wasn’t supposed to be a secret or something.” Coop said to Emily. “How could it be when we all knew he was holding you at arm’s length like you had cooties or something? He’s a lucky guy and I think he knows now.”

“He always knew…that has nothing to do with sex. We just had other responsibilities. I mean in a way, we’re parents. We have to set an example for the little ones.”

“Moms and dads do it.” Coop said. Then he covered his eyes. “OK, I think I just scarred myself for life.”

“Deservedly so.” Zoë replied. “Waiting can be a good thing. Jason and Em knew they loved each other and they wanted it to be right for both of them. Was it romantic, Em?”

“He woke me at 2 in the morning horny as hell.” She replied.

“Yeah, that sounds like something parents do.” Coop smirked.

“Shut up. It was wonderful; it was exactly what it should be.”

“So the freeze-out is over?” Coop asked.

“I don't know.” Emily shrugged. “We can't just start doing it like bunnies. But we both know where we stand now. We love each other and want to commit to making this a lifetime thing.”

“Really?” Zoë asked.

“You know I love Jason.”

“Yeah, but you're not even 17 yet…you're still in 11th grade. What if Brad Pitt comes along or some hot guy with a British accent or an amazing older man who wants to take you around the world and show you all the finer things in life? Plus he’ll have a British accent. I mean, it’s possible.”

“I love Jason.” Emily repeated. “Just because I'm with him doesn’t mean we can't have our own adventures. I've almost lived the whirlwind cosmopolitan life. I like this one better.”

“Does Lindsay know?” Coop asked. “Do I get to brag you told us first?”

“I called her before you picked me up. She reacted pretty much like you.”

“Well I hope you don’t think I'm not happy for you. I'm ecstatic, Prentiss. I know how much you care about him and I can see how much he cares about you. Waiting had reached excruciating levels.” He looked at Zoë. “Do not give me another dollar.”

“OK.” Zoë giggled.

“I just wanted to share it with you guys. That might be weird but I've never really had friends before…I don’t know the boundaries.”

“The boundaries are I wanna hear it if it’s salacious.” Coop said. “I don’t wanna hear it if it involves the girl parts that are not fun.”

“And he wonders why he’s single.” Zoë pointed at him.

“What? I'm a mack at school…people think I have three girlfriends.”

“And yet you don’t even have one.” Emily replied smiling.

“I go where the wind blows, know what I mean? I'm too much man to be tied down at the moment. I mean if Claudia Schiffer were available I could be convinced to make some exceptions. But I believe she's taken at the present time. Damn David Copperfield.”

Emily and Zoë laughed. Coop was insane, that’s why they loved him. He was such fun to be around, even when he was being a caveman. Deep down he was a sweetie; he was just a 17 year old boy. He loved baseball and babes and Coen Brothers movies. He had a secret stash of Steve Winwood cassettes and could tell you the plot of every Philip Roth novel.

He wanted to be in the Secret Service one day, ever since he saw _In the Line of Fire_. And he was a good friend. Emily trusted him, and she didn’t trust many people. She knew Jason was a bit jealous of their relationship but there was nothing she could do about that.

She liked Coop, maybe one day she would love him as good friends often did. But Jason was the one. She didn’t care if people thought it was insane to know that at sixteen. Nothing was ever going to change Emily’s mind. All she had been through brought her here…this was where she was supposed to be.

“We could go bowling.” Zoë said, bringing Emily out of her thoughts.

“Five bucks says I beat you both.” Coop replied.

“I'm down.” Emily nodded with a smile.

***

“Knock, knock.” Emily stuck her head in Jason’s room at ten.

“Hey.” He looked up from his Intro to Philosophy notes. “I'm sorry I wasn’t around much all night but I have a quiz tomorrow afternoon and I needed to study more.”

“That’s OK. I watched a movie with the girls and then Spencer and I read some before he went to bed.”

“What's he on now?” Jason asked.

“We’re rereading _Animal Farm_.” She came in, pushing the door up. “He could probably do it in an hour or so but I think letting me read to him is for my benefit.”

“He loves the sound of your voice.”

“That’s a sweet thing to say.”

“It’s true. You can ask him but surely he’d deny it.”

“Did you and Hotch have a good time out today?” Emily asked, sitting on his bed.

“He reamed me in Street Fighter.” Jason replied. “Yeah, we had a good time.”

“Good.” She smiled.

“I told him about us.”

“Is he OK?” her smile faded some. She knew Hotch wasn’t a virgin and also knew he’d have to know about Jason and Emily eventually. Emily just didn’t think she would ever have the heart to say it to him out loud. She didn’t know why, she just knew that.

“He's fine. We had a nice, long talk about a lot of things. It was good for us. I realize lately I've been neglecting my friendship with Aaron and I want to stop doing that. No one has been a better friend to me since my parents died. I know we’re growing up and dealing with all the responsibilities of that, but we’re still best friends. Sometimes we just need to do best friend boy stuff.”

“Like play Street Fighter at the arcade?”

“Yes. What?”

“What, what?”

“You're so beautiful…even when you have funny looks on your face.”

“I do not have a funny look on my face.” She slapped his arm. “I just came in to say goodnight. I’ll probably study a little Arabic in bed and then crash. Morning will be here before I know it. It’ll just be me and you; Hotch is getting up early to take Morgan to JV practice.”

“Yeah, he mentioned that after dinner. I think its great Morgan is practicing with them; he really wants a spot on the team next year.”

“He's not short on talent, that’s for sure.” Emily stood from the bed. She was walking away when Jason took her hand. She looked at him.

“I want to ask you to stay.”

“So ask me.” she said.

“I can't. I don’t think either of us would get a wink of sleep tonight.” He replied.

“When you marry me Jason Gideon, you better not lose that desire.”

“I don’t think it’s humanly possible.” He pulled her back to him and down on his lap. “I love you, Katya.”

“I love you too.” she put her arms around his neck. “I love you the mostest.”

Their kiss was sweet and tender, and then Jason deepened it. He knew he was going to have to let her go. It would be so hard not to surrender all the time now that he finally had. Holding back wasn’t his true test; staying back would be.

They had forever, he hoped, to be lovers. Right now they had to focus on tests, lunches, friends, and all the other things both teenagers and parents had to do. It was a busy life. Sometimes curling up in each other was the perfect getaway, even if it was only for a little while.

“Can Arabic wait?” he whispered, leaning close to nibble on her earlobe.

“Mmm hmm, but Philosophy can't.” with one more kiss, Emily got up from the bed. She smiled when Jason groaned.

“Sweet dreams.” He said.

“Goodnight, Jason.”

Blowing him a kiss, Emily walked out of the bedroom. She checked on Spencer once more and saw he was sound asleep. Penelope and JJ were also asleep in their room. The house was locked up tight and quiet.

In her room, Emily put her favorite cheesy love songs on the radio, cuddled in the bed she finally shared with Jason, and opened up her Arabic notebook. The weekend was almost over. So many things happened that Emily never imagined but the more things changed, the more they stayed the same. She was definitely OK with that.

***

  



End file.
